Queen Victoria Mosque

The Jamia mosque or Queen Victoria mosque is situated at the corner of Chiappini and Castle street, Cape Town.^[1] It is considered to be the first and oldest mosque in Cape Town,^[2][3] and the largest in the Bo-Kaap area of Cape Town.^[4]

Queen Victoria Mosque
Location
Location	Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, South Africa
Shown within South Africa Show map of South Africa Queen Victoria Mosque (Africa) Show map of Africa
Geographic coordinates	33°55′22.1390″S 18°24′43.7490″E / 33.922816389°S 18.412152500°E / -33.922816389; 18.412152500
Architecture
Type	Mosque

History

While some sources mention that the mosque was built in the year 1850,^[a] others mention that the land for building the mosque was granted only in the year 1851.^[b] It is a Shafee mosque^[5] and was the first mosque built on land that was specifically given for a mosque site by the British Crown.^[1] This may have been one reason it was referred to as Queen Victoria mosque.^[1] Another reason it was referred to thus could have been the involvement of the British Crown in resolving disputes within the Muslim community.^[6] The Jamia mosque site was granted to the Cape Muslims with the expressed assurance that it be utilised by all Muslims regardless of their differences.^[1] The land grant resulted out of conditions in the Colony in 1846.^[1][c]

Notes

1. Worden, et al. (2004) mention that the mosque was built in 1850.^[2]
2. Hutchinson (2006) writes that the mosque site was approved only on 19 October 1851 and the title deeds were transferred three years thence.^[5]
3. In 1804, the Cape was threatened by war; the increasing clashes on the Eastern Frontier required the complete trust of those who lived in the Colony, leading to the inclination to appease the Muslim community.^[1]

References

1. Achmat Davids, The Mosques of Bo-Kaap-page 138, The South African Institute of Arabic and Islamic Research Athlone, Cape Town, 1980
2. Nigel Worden; Elizabeth Van Heyningen; Vivian Bickford-Smith (2004). Cape Town: The Making of a City. New Africa Books. pp. 187–. ISBN 978-0-86486-656-1.
3. "The colourful Bo-Kaap district in Cape Town, South Africa". Insightguides.com. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
4. "Mosques -". Bokaap.co.za. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
5. Michael Hutchinson (2006). Bo-Kaap: Colourful Heart of Cape Town. New Africa Books. pp. 78–. ISBN 978-0-86486-693-6.
6. Kay McCormick (2002). Language in Cape Town's District Six. Oxford University Press. pp. 32–. ISBN 978-0-19-823554-5.